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Cartridge, 5.56-mm, Tracer, M196. (Used in the M16A1 rifle) The M196 cartridge has a red or orange painted tip. Its main uses are for observation of fire, incendiary effect, and signaling. Soldiers should avoid long-term use of 100 percent tracer rounds, which could cause deposits of incendiary material, or chemical compounds that could damage the barrel. Therefore, when tracer rounds are fired, they are mixed with ball ammunition in a ratio of no greater than one-to-one with a preferred ratio of three or four ball rounds to one tracer round.